Sunday Roses

Not as cold and icy as the weather outside, but white as the snow. I have the roses in the living room where it's close to 60 degrees. Roses like to be cool. I have them in a metal vase with a metallic green, dotted surface. Christmas colors.

I dressed warmer for my full day at work yesterday. And, naturally, it was warmer inside. So I kept pulling on the fleece, taking it off, pulling on the vest, taking it off. I even had extra dry socks and didn't need them. But better too warm than cold.

G used to ask me about my best customer each evening while we ate dinner. He doesn't anymore. I did have two "best" customers yesterday. One was a father sent to get "moss" for his son's school project. So, out we went into the frozen perennial yard, armed with the big butcher's knife, searching for moss covered cement blocks. I was down on my knees in the snow and ice but we found a good 4 inch portion and a smaller 3 inch square. I potted them up, watered them and wished him a happy holiday. No charge.

The second was a woman buying something for a friend moving into a new apartment. She had selected two herb plants and a flat square dish in which to plant them. One or three would have been easy. Two. Not so easy. Plus the dish was shallow. So, out came the butcher's knife again and I cut a few inches off the bottom of each plant. And some off the sides. I got them in and added a rock from my little collection of "interesting rocks" that I look for when I go out walking in the perennial yard. The little dish garden looked very Zen. The customer added a "dream" rock and we stuck some tiny red Christmas ornaments into the silver thyme and lavender. Sweet. And the customer was so pleased. She fairly glowed.

Secret Santa gifts are starting to show up at work. Very mysterious. I need to work on wrapping my gifts for the name I drew. I love wrapping a FEW gifts. When I have a pile, it's not as much fun. But two or three? That's fun. I especially like wrapping in brown paper tied up with string (my favorite song), a sprig of holly or Balsam and a hand drawn gift card. I also like adding a handmade ornament.

AND, I returned the Flat Stanley Tree and selected another wild, crazy tree. With a bouffant skirt all around. I am crazy happy with it. G says I bought the same tree, twice. But, I didn't. I made sure Flat Stanley was far away when I picked out the Bouffant Tree.

N was eating gum drops at work yesterday which made me want orange slices. The candy not actual orange slices. I had a handful of clementines to snack on. There was a time when I ate candy orange slices by the tub. Before the diet. In fact, when the diet started in January of 2007, I had half a tub of orange slices. 50 calories each. I would "save" 50 calories every couple of days and treat myself to "one". Eventually, I threw them away. One was never enough, so none was a better solution. I had such self control back then. I was determined to succeed. Where did all that go?

G is sleeping and Riley is looking out the window. I'm going to make a fresh pot of coffee and decide what we'll be having for breakfast. I missed the Twelve By Twelve deadline for the "pink" project yesterday. This is the fourth deadline I have missed. I think I have to realize that I'm not playing along anymore. Or catch up.